ok, so i finally finished my UDS. i'm currently going through the seasoning process. my UDS is holding temps really well. the TBS has been rolling pretty well, but i've got a few questions.
1. is it a common "ritual" to have to open up the drum and shake the fire basket? seems i've had to do that every 2 hours to get the fire back up and get TBS rolling again.
2. there appears to be quite a bit of ash coming out of the exhaust, so is that just the nature of the beast?
3. in order to get 225-250 i have both pipe caps off and the ball valve at 50%. could this be an issue that is related to the huge heavy ass lid i have on the thing?
4. my paint job is already coming off. i painted it early this morning and let it sit for a couple of hours. the veggie oil i sprayed on the inside of the drum and lid is leaking a bit and when i wiped it off, off came the paint. will the veggie on the outside be ok like i have taken to doing on my offset's firebox? btw, i decided not to paint the heavy ass lid, just the drum.
thanks in advance.